This is not a conventional concrete zoo. The closest comparison would be from Disney's animal kingdom in Orlando. The habitat is organic and large. There is a variety of animals that were either born into captivity or rescued. It's a very heart warming mission. The interactive design is refreshing and well worth the admission price, $12 for kids, $16 for adults and $15 for seniors. Picnics are encouraged. read more

Great zoo we loved that all the animals were active Most of the time you go to the Zoo and the animals are asleep. Veterans get in free every day very appreciated. read more

DeYoung Family Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Wallace, Michigan

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I had been wanting to visit this zoo for years since I grew up in the area but unfortunately I've never had the opportunity to go, that is, until last weekend. Last weekend we were in the area with my parents, siblings, nieces and nephews and decided to visit the zoo. From what my husband said, this zoo has only gotten better with time. It used to be much smaller but now there really are a lot of animals you can see and it's larger than it was 15-20 years ago. I should have looked ahead of time, but they have a schedule of different events throughout the day and various animal encounters. We arrived in the afternoon and got to see the 3pm Whitetail Deer encounter. That was a really cool experience. The deer actually came out of their 'forest' and walked right up to us! Before that some in our group were even able to hold some of the snakes and a baby sloth. This truly is a cool zoo to go to (in the middle of no where) and there are activities for people of all ages. Everything is well kept up and the animals all seem pretty chill and well taken care of. read more

We were able to talk with the owner Bud DeYoung and he was very nice and answered our questions. Carrie wasn't very nice. It's sad that there is only one hippo and he has no companionship after several years of being there. read more

A zoo you must visit! I've been to the DeYoung Family Zoo twice, and it is a site to behold! Everyone should visit the zoo at least once! My favorite thing about coming here is the "Animal Encounters" portion, which you can experience at various times throughout the day. This is where the bring animals, such as silver fox, baby kangaroos, monkeys, and other amazing animals out for you to hold and pet. They also educate you about the animals. It's amazing! They also have listed feeding times for the tigers, and other animals. There's a Hippo named Wallace you can actually feed yourself! Other animals you'll see along the way are a variety of primates, petting zoo animals (and yes, you can buy feed for them but at $1 a bag or $5 a bucket it's optional). It's a great way to spend the day for adults and kids of all ages. Admission is reasonable: $12 for adults and I believe $6 or $8 for kids under 18 years of age. I highly recommend visiting the DeYoung Family Zoo to everyone who enjoys the outdoors and anyone who enjoys seeing eco tic animals! read more

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A wonderful attraction in an area one would not expect to find such an expansive display of animals. Certainly does not offer all the exhibits one would find in a big city (Milwaukee) zoo, but offers a much more personal experience. The staff bringing out the baby animals for a little personal interaction with the kids is an unbeatable zoo experience. It may have been luck of the day I was there but the animals all seemed much more active than other zoo experiences I've had. You get a much closer interaction opportunity with the animals than a typical zoo and it's enjoyable that all of this is located surrounded by woods. Definitely worth the $12 adult & $8 child price of admission. read more

DeYoung Family Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Wallace, Michigan

The zoo was pretty good and had a variety of animals. They do a lot of shows, so we caught some of the wolf one. They had some interesting stuff like camels and a lot of large animals. You can walk through it in about 2 hours and then head across the street to the Zoom In for food. The price was reasonable and people were good about social distancing. I would stop in again if I found myself in the area. I felt the zoo was similar in terms of layout and structure to the Garlyn Zoo close to the bridge. read more

Best zoo ever, ran by conscientious people who are there to educate you as much as entertain you. I had no idea that the stripes on a tiger are like a fingerprint -- unique to the animal. Our kids really enjoyed feeding animals, and I enjoyed seeing bears, tigers, deer, lions and all animals up close. We even fed lettuce to the hippo! I strongly recommend this zoo -- you won't want to pay to see animals on concrete patios & structures ever again. Our girls are still talking about holding the baby wallebee & the dingo; they passed on the python and the bearded dragon. Caution: Watch out for the Alpha Female in the wolf pen. :) read more

DeYoung Family Zoo - Up close to whitetail deer - Zoos Near Me - Wallace, Michigan

I have visited this zoo more than once,and I love it. Sadly through no fault of their own I feel like they landed on PETA's radar, which I would guess are the authors of a good deal of their bad reviews. I do at times wonder if a lot of them have even set foot in the property... That being said, this is a wonderful family owned and operated facility. One only need to have a functioning set of eyes to see that the animals in their care are happy, well cared for and loved. I can't wait until next summer when I can bring our grand daughter to the UP to share the DeYoung Family Zoo with her. She loves going to the zoos down closer to home ( Detroit and Toledo) but I don't feel that they are as warm and personal as Bud and Carrie's little zoo is. Anxious to visit next summer!!! Update : Well we made! This is my happy place! We arrived on a perfect weather day, walked thru the ticket booth to find Bid running around on his 4wheeler letting all of the guests k ow that he's going to be doing a tiger feeding demonstration . We opted out due to the fact EVERYONE was following Bud. So we took advantage of that fact most everyone in the park was watching Bud feed his tigers, we were able to wander around the park with ease. On our way out we stopped up front to grab a couple of sodas and sit for a minute or two, and we struck up a conversation with one of the guys who works there. He told us how this job was supposed to be for 2 weeks and after 10 years he was still there. It made me want to chuck everything and run away to work at the zoo. The only thing missing was crossing paths with Carrie. Maybe next time.... read more

This was a cute zoo. I strongly prefer the Garlyn Zoo when in the U.P., but if you're in the area this place is worth a stop. It was quite big, but we didn't get a map so I'm not sure if we saw everything or not. My other issue was that a lot of the enclosures (most of them!) didn't have any sort of signage to tell you what the animals were inside. So we had a lot of walking around and guessing what different animals were, lol. If the signage had been complete and we'd been given a map when we bought our tickets, I would easily bump this up to four stars. read more

Enjoyed our time at the Zoo. I'm usually not a fan but they have the animals in spaces areas surrounded by forest of trees.

Definite must see for the whole family. I take my kids here every summer and they love it! Compared to a regular zoo: Plus category- inexpensive, not crowded, you can hold multiple baby animals, feed a hippo, see them feed bears, lions, wolves. You learn about the animals while the handlers talk to you. You can bring a lunch and eat it at your car or there is a little restaurant across the street for treats. Negative category- location (although it is a nice scenic drive), flies (warn your kids- due to the area to feed goats, etc lots of flies), and if you work for PETA you might not like this place- but remember these are RESCUE animals and they are being very well cared for. read more

DeYoung Family Zoo - Feeding Wallace the Hippo. - Zoos Near Me - Wallace, Michigan

They must not care about customers---their website site says open to end of October---you drive 30 miles ----one way----ON OCTOBER 10th-----and find signs on the gates saying closed for season-------------call on phone twice and phone was "busied out"----instead of leaving a message they are closed for season------nice way to run a business read more

I wish I could give this place more than 5 stars. This Zoo makes all other Zoo's seem obsolete. The family environment makes you feel welcome at home, the entire day is filled with activities that are fun and educational for the whole family. I've been here every year for the last 6 years and it just keeps getting better and better! read more

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Surprisingly large!! Wow! Beautiful day to roam around and check out this zoo... Most animals were moving around, which is nice--you can actually see them! Alligators, Deer, Tigers, Horses, Cows, Bears, Chickens, Monkeys, Wolves, Raccoon, Mountain Lion, Pigs, and much more! Super fun with a kid - you can buy $1 (or $5 for a large) cup of food & feed the goats! read more

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The best zoo I've been to. They rescue and help wild animals and have daily encounters with the animals. Very informational and up close and personal! You can feed a hippo, hold a baby kangaroo and snake and pet a fox and sloth! Those are just a few to mention. Love the history of this place too. Would highly recommend! read more

This place is incredible. My children and I vacationed in the upper peninsula mainly to go to this zoo, and we weren't disappointed! While driving to the zoo, you are driving for a few miles on small county roads. Then, pulling into the driveway, you encounter a zoo. Buddy, the owner, was playing with his "son", a 5 year-old chimpanzee, and it was obvious that the animal was well-cared for and treated as one of the family. He even takes the chimpanzee into their house at night. However, my favorite was all the tigers. You are separated by two wide chain fences, approximately 3 feet apart. I have never been that close to a wild tiger where there was not glass in between, and it definitely made for quite the experience. During big cat feeding time, which I would highly recommend, you can watch while the DeYoung family throw raw meat into the cages and the tigers fight over it. And it wasn't just a few tigers, it was at least 10, plus some lions and cougars, in enclosures with 2-3 tigers in each. During the feeding, Carrie educates and talks about the history of each of the cats. The zoo is very hands on. Throughout the day, you were never bored because every half-hour, the staff were either feeding animals in front of you, or allowing the children to hold baby animals. My daughter fed a hippo, and got to hold a baby spider monkey, a snake, a turtle, and even an alligator. I have never encountered a zoo quite like this one. The owners were very accessible, walking around, answering questions, and imparting information on each animal. It is obvious they care quite deeply for the animals there, and live on the property to take care of them when the zoo is closed. The DeYoung family do not simply show you the animals under their care, they bring you in as a part of their family and have a truly interactive experience. It is truly amazing, and we cannot wait to go back. read more

DeYoung Family Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Wallace, Michigan

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Buddy is one of the nicest people you will ever meet and there is not a better place to learn about animals. Really awesome!

I love this zoo. It is a great family experience. If you are in the area please don't pass by

I stumbled across the TV show about a episode dated in 2011 then looked them up, ( that's why I am here ) I think its beyond great what these folks are doing to help animals, its a 24 hour , 7 day week job, feeding, caring, securing wild animals. I think any of these skunk Vomit people whom give bad reviews should try to raise a Rat and see just how difficult taking care of animals are. ) It appears from the photos of them wild hog faced people whom post negative response have no clue and factual checking what's involved. If you really are concerned about appearance of the farm then donate your time to help, or some of your food stamp money to buy feed. read more

I have mixed feelings about this zoo. I appreciate the tour/feeding of the animals by the owner, it felt personal and was cool. Now on to the negatives. They pride themselves in how well they feed their big cats, but throw stale doughnuts and pastries to their bears, as well as marshmallows from the kids. It's cute, but I doubt this is healthy for the bears. I wish they would fix the grading by the sheep and donkeys in the front of the zoo. All the urine drains down into the walk way, making a fly-infested area. Nasty smelling too. It makes a horrible first impression. Also some of the weeds along the fences were so high, it was hard to see the animals. I also did not like the lack of bathrooms throughout the zoo or changing stations for babies. I could not find any bathrooms in the zoo beyond 4-5 in front. Maps would be nice. I don't know how healthy it is to expose such small baby animals to so many people? The baby monkey everyone got to hold, I would guess, would probably be better with its mother. It seemed scared. I loved the big cat shows, and all the animals seemed well fed and happy, or at least tolerating their captivity better than I've seen in other zoos. The pins were a nice size too. I liked lots of things about this place, but equally disliked a lot too. Judge for yourself. read more

Hands down the best hands on experience ever. Although my last experience was over 2years ago, I'm planning for and looking forward to taking my son back this summer along with my nieces and nephews. read more

Absolutely my favorite zoo. Going between Memorial Day and Labor Day when they have their special daily schedule is a must for anyone who enjoys animals and interaction with them. The staff are all very friendly and love to tell you all about the animals and care. I had gone once when I was on crutches and the owner drove me around for the activities in a cart so I could still take part due to the dirt trails and mud after a rain. Highlights for me are seeing the tigers fed, roaring and pouncing & holding the baby animals during the encounters. read more

Words can truly not explain nor give credit to the DeYoung Family Zoo. The DeYoung Family Zoo is a true hidden treasure in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Hidden in the middle of the woods just outside Walden, MI is something that you would never expect to find. My family has been here before but my first visit was Sunday. It seemed strange as I am used to the standard zoo where you have cement and water separating you and the animals. BUT not here! All of the animals are just two fences away from you. Though this can see a little unsafe, it is not. AND it is really cool to be able to get that much closer to the animals. As we walked around you can see monkeys, tigers, lions, alligators, wolves, hyenas, and many many more. All throughout the day they have different shows that are designed to educate you about the animals, vs putting them on display to entertain you. We caught the end of the wolf talk and did the "feeding the big cats". Between shows they bring out baby animals that you can actually touch and hold. I held a baby spider monkey and a baby dingo. It was so very cool! As they fed the big cats they educated us about the animals. They have more tigers than most any other zoo that I have been to. Even though tigers are tigers they still made sure to educate us about each and every one. Unlike your typical zoo they don't have lots of food options, BUT they do have some food vendors set up across the street from the zoo. It is very easy to spend an entire day here at the DeYoung Family Zoo. Even though it may not change all that often, I would totally visit again just to be able to hold more baby animals and learn about some of the other animals in their zoo that we didn't watch the shows. read more

This zoo is amazing they don't nickel and dime you to death for the activities around the zoo. Upon entering I saw Louis the chimpanzee in his enclosure I immediate lol because his enclosure was bigger than my first apartment ha ha Ha upon walking to the Zoo the owner Bud approached us and asked us if we would like to feed his hippo I was waiting for the catch meaning how much was it going to cost me he took us to Wallace The hippos enclosure explain how to feed the hippo and handed us pieces of lettuce as he gave us some fun facts about him and it didn't cost us any extra the tigers and lions were in large enclosures with grass under their feet it was a breath of fresh air to see an animal not walking on concrete and pacing back-and-forth they were just lounging around like they didn't have a care in the world awesome place will definitely go again read more

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The conditions for most of the animals here are appalling and the cages that many animals, such as the monkeys, are kept in are far too small. Some parts of the zoo make you realize how eery and sad this place is for these animals. Remember that these animals aren't just in there for the day, they live in that tiny space for their entire lives and without much enrichment. This isn't a zoo promoting conservation it's actually a business which is exploiting animals for some mojey. They are just out to make a quick profit, we all should avoid supporting the neglect of so many animals. read more

The zoo is ok, it's more of a farm with some exotic animals. Some of the enclosures are decent habitats, while others seem awfully small for the size of the animals. You are essentially looking through two sets of fences which makes viewing ok. It must have rained recently, so the paths were awfully muddy. The kids liked it, but I can definitely see why animal activist think it is horrible. Look out the lion likes to mark it's territory, and one of our kids got sprayed a bit. read more

Amazing family zoo. Owners are amazing and will help educate visitors on the animals. A lot of time, effort and love have been put into this zoo. A definite must visit place if in the UP of Michigan. Never met people who love animals as much as they do and it shows. We will be coming back that's for sure. Please do NOT believe the negative comments that have been posted on Yelp. Because if you visit the zoo you will see for yourself that the negative reviews were lies and that most of these people have never been to the zoo. read more

Big zoos like Lincoln Park, Brookfield, Milwaukee, and Detroit don't hold a candle to DeYoung Family Zoo. The experience is simply amazing. You get up to see the animals in the most natural habitats that you have ever seen. The educational experience is well worth the visit. I have visited a few times, and there is always something new to see or do, because they are constantly working on improvements. read more

This zoo is the highlight of my kids summer every year. We are typically there from open to close. The interaction between my kids and the animals they bring out is the whole reason we go there. They bring out different animals throughout the day to hold and pet and that is by far the best part. read more

The best zoo ever! Animals are treated so well and loved. I especially liked the wolf exhibit with the presentation by the owner (alpha female). My faith in mankind has been renewed. They deserve all the best. I will definitely visit again. read more

Atypical zoo, more like a wildlife sanctuary. Keepers are enthusiastic about their animals and are really hard working. Scenically lacking, and not stroller friendly, but great for "closer encounters" with the animals. This is truly a mom and pop zoo, definitely worth donating your time and money to. Kudos!! read more

Ummmm. This place is just okay to me. The animals are hard to see and photograph which is what I enjoy doing when I visit zoos. It seemed like some of the habitats were too small which was sad. I did, however, really enjoy feeding the animals. That was the highlight of this trip. Beware, the zoo is also out of the way and hard to find. We ended up going past it, and our GPS took us down dirt country roads to get there. read more

A treasure if ever one existed. Just a brilliant idea. The DeYoung Zoo should be featured in places to go in the United States. I've pretty much been to most of the states and I've never seen such an operation. If you have kids take them here...if someone you know has kids take them here...take yourself here without kids. I couldn't think of a better place to spend a day. Disney doesn't have shit on these guys. read more

This zoo was amazing. Everyone was very friendly and knowledgeable. I have and will continue to recommend this zoo to any and everyone I know or meet and often complete strangers. The experience is unlike any other zoo I've ever been to. There are hands on experiences, and they are great with children. You can tell the minute you arrive that they love every animal there big or small, wild or domestic. I have never seen so many carnivores in one place, and they manage to fit in herbivores and omnivores too!! If you can make the trip don't miss this gem, it's worth the drive! read more

These are rescue animals, and the staff is doing a great job. PETA, get lost !!!

This is pretty much the most amazing place I've ever been. You can see the animals up so closely and interact with them. Absolutely amazing.

It was great going to the zoo with my children. These animals are all taken care of. Id highly recommend going.

Awesome experience! Love the way they are a family owned and operated zoo.

DeYoung's in a one in a million place. Bud and Carrie treat all of the animals as cherished members of the family while always remembering that they are still wild animals and should be respected. Bud and Carrie have dedicated their lives to rescuing, rehabilitating, and caring for domestic and exotic animals. More than this, they have dedicated their lives to educating others about the importance of caring for animals and animal conservation. Bring your family here and you will leave with amazing memories and a greater appreciation for the animal kingdom. read more